Comments on Sustainable Design in Melbourne

The section below is republished with permission from the Going Solar Transport Newsletter #62, 3 June 2008, compiled by Stephen Ingrouille. Going Solar, www.goingsolar.com.au/transport. This newsletter provides an excellent commentary on local sustainable transport issues in Melbourne.

â€œIf we are to preserve the best of what we have while making the city even more liveable, exciting and sustainable, we need to empower government to lead this effort at a metropolitan level. A metropolitan planning authority could integrate the plans of transport and infrastructure authorities, define pockets of higher density and produce appropriate controls â€” in effect, it could make things happen. Backed by ministerial authority, such an organisation could provide the decisive leadership needed â€¦

Good urban design addresses the patterns of land use and movement as a whole. We neglect urban design at our peril. Every time we create transport networks, we transform the way the surrounding land is viewed. â€¦

We know we cannot stand still. Our urban infrastructure is ageing. We need to preserve and recycle much more water for urban purposes. We need to reduce our carbon footprint and energy use. We need to reduce commuting distances and emissions by bringing jobs to residents. In the next 20 years, the whole metropolis will need to be reshaped and redesigned. This task demands the involvement of our most able and visionary professionals, working in a democratic framework with decisive and well resourced governments. Metropolitan challenges demand metropolitan solutions.â€